The University of Miami’s William Lehman Injury Research Center at Jackson Memorial Medical Center conducts interdisciplinary investigations to study seriously injured restrained occupants in frontal automobile collisions. Engineering analysis of these crashes is conducted in conjunction with the National Crash Analysis Center at the George Washington University. The multidisciplinary research team includes expertise in crash investigation, crash reconstruction, computer graphics, biomechanics of injuries, crash data analysis, emergency trauma care, and all of the medical specialties associated with the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The Lehman Center is a founding member of the newly created Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network referred to as "CIREN". More than 200 injured occupants and their crashes have been studied in depth

By careful study of injured crash victims, their vehicies and the crash scene, injury patterns emerge. These patterns form the basis for hypotheses, which can be explored further by analysis of mass crash data crash tests, and computer modeling. As a consequence, recommendations can be developed for injury control measures.

In the census of cases invohing drivers protected by air bags in frontal impacts at the Lehman Center, heart injuries were present in about 9% of the cases, and liver injuries occurred in 19% of the cases. The chest/abdominal region accounted for 44% of the injury weighted harm. The chest comprised 68% and the abdomen 32% of this harm fraction. In examining the harm to the chest, the ribs and heart contributed about 43%. In examining the abdomen, the liver contributed 53% and the spleen 26%.

Liver injuries were most common in cars with right front damage, and with the driver wearing the shoulder belt without the lap belt fastened. Among drivers with lap and shoulder belts, the most common crash mode was the left frontal offset. In crashes with severity around 30 mph the centerline impact with a rigid narrow object produced liver injury.

In examining heart injuries, all available cases from the Special Crash Investigations file maintained by NHTSA were included. For heart injuries in low to moderate severity crashes, impacts with rigid narrow objects was the most common crash mode. Impacts with soft structures such as the rear and side of other cars were also heart injury producing crash modes.

For both liver and heart injuries, conditions which cause the occupant to be positioned close to the air bag was a recurring theme in low to moderate severity crashes.

Liver and heart injuries are frequently difficult to detect at the crash scene. If not promptly diagnosed and treated, the conseqnences are often fatal. A major objective of this study is to identify crash conditions beyond crash severity, which can assist in detecting the presence of these occult iujuries.